Naples KOA: A Family Away From Family

Scott McIntyre/Staff The Naples / Marco Island KOA isn't the easiest campground to spot from the road. Nestled away from the busy US 41, residents come from all over the country and many from Canada for the nice weather, but mostly for the people that return on a yearly basis. There you will find some people that have been coming to the campground for over ten years and one resident for over 30 years. If you ask the residents, many of them will call their neighbors at the campground family.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff John Lifrien leans into the conversation alongside his wife Carol, while they catch up with Marcia and Bill Nichols, center and right during a birthday cookout for a neighbor, Diane Hawver, at the Naples / Marco Island KOA. The residents at the campground don't hold back when it comes to celebrations for their friends and neighbors. For Hawver, the neighbors had a pot luck celebration along with a "Trashcan Turkey," where a whole turkey is smoked in a trashcan.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Following a cookout at the neighbors camper, Diane Hawver brought out her bird, Bobbie to show to her neighbors as well as getting a kiss from the bird.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff The community hall was filled with residents and visitors for the KOA Sweet Heart Dance in February. Many residents at the Naples / Marco Island KOA have friends visit throughout their time there. Jack and Dyann MacDonald, left, were visiting Brenda and Howard Rees from Ottawa and tagged along with them to the dance.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Kathy McClare pauses her walk with her dogs Gigi and Noah to stand for a portrait near her camper at the Naples / Marco Island KOA. McClare has been coming to the KOA for seven years seasonaly, but is now in her first year as a year round resident. "I always look forward to seeing everyone, this is family," said McClare.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Ted Mangels, a manager at the KOA, gets ambushed with water balloons while he tries to maneuver his way to the finish line during an event called, "Backseat Driver," during the annual KOA Olympics. The object of the event is to complete the course while blindfolded and going by the directions of the rider's significant other or friend. Mangels and his wife Anita have been managing the Naples / Marco Island KOA since 2007. Like many of the residents, Mangels attributes the specialness of the campground back to it's residents. "It's become one big family since people have been coming here," said Mangels, "They're closer to their neighbors here than the ones they have up north."

Scott McIntyre/Staff After dinner in their trailer, Howard Rees laughs during the conversation with his wife Brenda Rees, and their friends Karen and George Green. The Rees' started coming to the Naples / Marco Island KOA 13 years ago. At first, it was only a brief trip, since then they have migrated from a camper to a permanent trailer. Like many of the residents, Howard Rees attributes their affinity to the campground back to the people that come there. "It's like a family away from a family," said Rees.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Judy and Dave Cummens share a kiss on the dance floor at the annual KOA Sweet Heart Dance in February. Residents and vacationers never have a shortage of activities to participate in at the Naples / Marco Island KOA. An activities council meets every month to plan out what each day will hold.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Linda Johnston, right, gathers around with other residents to admire Gladys Vincent's four-month-old great grandson Jase Hunke who was visiting with her mother and Vincent's grand daughter Christina Hunke, right of Vincent, from Ontario. "I hope I'm like this when I'm their age," said Hunke about the residents at the campground.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff Scenes from the Naples / Marco Island KOA where people from all around the country and many from Canada make their home for the season. The KOA opened in 1972 and since it opened it has had returning residents and some making their lives there full time. One resident, Howard Rees sums up the residents as, "A family away from family." Even when they're away from Naples the residents stay connected through email and visit each other throughout the year.

Scott McIntyre/Staff As the sun starts to set on the Naples / Marco Island KOA, residents start to make dinner and catch up on their rest for the following day's activities.